Parallel Dimensions - Crimson World
by Kanius
Summary: Two parallel Persona 5 worlds converge. Akira Kurusu meets Ren Amamiya. Phantom Thieves meet Crimson Thieves. Reason? A dark matter slips into the Crimson world where the Phantom Thieves must thread. What follows next?


**A/N**: Hello. For those seeing this, this is a one-shot crossover I wrote for myself & Ford1114's _Persona Vein_/_Urban Legends_/_Akane no Mai_ series and Dowdz's popular _Crimson_ AU.

I have read Dowdz's story (otherwise I wouldn't have written this) and can be reasonably placed between Chapters 103 and 105 (whenever it comes out). We have his permission to use his world for this one-shot.

So, _Crimson_ followers. I hope you'll enjoy this crossover tale of two P5 parallel worlds.

xxxxx

_**Parallel Dimensions - Crimson World**_

xxxxx

_**The Velvet Room (**__**ベルベット・ルーム**__**)**_

"Welcome back, Trickster," Igor acknowledged Ren, who appeared in his presence. The ridiculous-looking eyes scanned the Phantom Thief and turned his head to the left. "What have you come here for?"

"You've seen what's happening lately, right?" Ren flat out told him. "The unexplained and sudden rise of supernatural entities in Tokyo. Two boys revealed to be monsters were nearly killed by mental shutdowns. Thankfully, they were spared. The Yami Matter has been toying with us, because it's been months since the last major Yami Matter incursion."

"Yes, I believe it happened when those four human creature hybrids died due to mental shutdowns," a voice belonging to Lavenza chimed in, catching Ren's attention.

The bespectacled young man turned an eye toward Lavenza. She walked in and bowed.

"The Yami Matter has been very meticulously with its approach toward you and your friends."

Igor added. "Indeed. I did warn you to be wary of your surroundings, Phantom Thief. The Yami Matter's influence has gotten to the point where it has allowed for spirits, with good and malignant intentions, to crossover into your physical world."

"We have yet to run into any kindred spirits. They've all been trouble."

A soft smile adorned Lavenza's youthful features. "Just because you haven't seen the kindred ones, does not mean they are not present. You helped purify one malevolent spirit." She reminded Ren of the Kuchisake-onna, who he helped stop to make her reflect on her actions.

"But, that's not all you want to ask. Is it?" Igor pressed both hands together and tilted his head to the other side.

Ren grinned. "You know me too well." He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I know you and her have been looking into the source behind these Yami Matter."

Igor vaguely nodded. "There are individuals are meddling with an ancient source beyond their control. The Yami Matter will continue to placate to anyone with dark desires in their hearts. It may even come after you or those you hold dear."

Clenching his fist, Ren's grin faded. "That's not what I want to hear."

"Understand this. The Yami Matter will not show any loyalty to any one party or individual. It will choose who it wants to manipulate." Lavenza sagely lectured Ren.

"Right. We have no way of knowing where it'll strike next. This isn't like entering Mementos and trying to track Shadows. After all, Mementos is gone now."

Igor and Lavenza stayed silent.

"Well, that sure helped me a lot. Guess we'll just continue searching on our own."

"One more thing," Igor stopped him.

Ren paused.

"The Yami Matter will act very soon. In fact, it has infiltrated a reality parallel to this, has taken root in it, and begun to influence it."

"A world like ours? What do you mean?" Ren glanced over his shoulder.

"Just as I said. Be cautious of your surroundings. You and your colleagues will notice a discrepancy affecting your world."

"This would be worth investigating," Lavenza stressed to Ren. "You and the Phantom Thieves may look into this."

"Two worlds, two very different sides of the same coin, will crossover soon." Igor subtly informed Ren.

This warning became instilled in the Phantom Thief's mind.

"Would you like to know more about this other dimension?" Lavenza asked Ren.

xxxxx

_**Odaiba Seaside Park/Odaiba (**__**お台場**__**)/August 1, 2019 (2019**__**年**__**8**__**月**__**1**__**日**__**) (Reality: August 1, 2021)/10:00 PM (JST)**_

The day of the Third Yami Matter event became realized. The discrepancies Igor alluded came in the form of dimensional cracks that no one except the Thieves and those closest to them could see. The source causing these dimensional fissures were traced in the Odaiba Prefecture, but most specifically in Odaiba Seaside Park. The essence of the Yami Matter came directly from this malignant source.

Ren, Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba convened at their chosen meeting place: Odaiba Seaside Park. Hifumi also came to meet with them. It was nighttime in the park and there were no other people besides them. The group couldn't have picked a better time to investigate this latest Yami Matter presence.

The group faced a dark distortion. Waves of crimson light permeated from this hole and filled the area with a dreadful aura.

"Look. That appears to be the insufferable source," Yusuke pointed to the malignant wormhole.

"Man, talk about creepy vibes. It feels like Mementos," Ryuji remarked.

Suddenly, the hole quickly closed up as if the Yami Matter was already aware of the Phantom Thieves's presence.

"Looks like it knows we're onto it," Haru acknowledged the Yami Matter's awareness of their presence.

"Is that where the Yami Matter is in? In this another dimension?" Ann asked Ren.

"Here's what Ren told me," Morgana quickly chimed, informing the Phantom Thieves based on Ren's recollections from his talk with Igor.

Based on images and knowledge Ren learned from Igor, this dimension was given the dimensional code: _**P5-Crimson**_. This parallel dimension is darker and more maladjusted than theirs. According to Ren, the world their counterparts live in could be described like them experiencing some kind of acid trip.

Ryuji was baffled as to what's been described about this parallel dimension. "Sheesh, just how fucked up can our other selves be?!"

"It gets better," Ren plainly said. "My counterpart's name is Kurusu Akira."

Kurusu Akira is Ren's P5-Crimson counterpart. Whereas Ren was a pretty level-headed young man, but had a snarky and playful side to him he exhibits in given situations. Kurusu Akira was shown to be prone to neurotic and episodic levels of PTSD. Akira also had anger issues as well as suffering bouts of paranoia and depression. He's also shown to have constant arguments with his friends and is prone to suffering anxiety attacks when situations become too overwhelming for him.

The other Phantom Thieves each wondered if this Akira's anxiety levels would increase so much it'd create a Palace.

"Geez, this other you sounds like a total nervous wreck, man. I hope you don't end up like that." Ryuji said with a concerned look written on his face.

"Nah, I won't," Ren gave a self-assured smirk. "By the way, Ann, while we're a married couple here, Akira's love interest…"

Ann anxiously waited for a response. "...yeah?"

"Who is it?" Haru queried.

As Ren looked to each girl present, his glare shifted directly towards Makoto's way. Realizing he's looking at her, Makoto wasn't sure what to say about this.

"What? You mean Akira and… _me_?" Makoto poked a finger to her chest.

Ren smirked. "They're currently not dating or anything, but you're a potential love interest of Akira's. He does think of your counterpart's well being."

Makoto shook her head. "I...I don't even know what to say." She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over to see it was Haru.

"It's ok. And I find it comforting to know you and I are best friends in that other world."

"Are you ok with that? Our other selves just being friends?"

Haru leaned a head on Makoto's shoulder. "Yes, I am, because that doesn't change our love for each other here."

As soon as Kamoshida of P5-Crimson was mentioned, the blood in Ann's body grew cold like ice. Just the mere mention of _his_ name made her skin crawl out of disgust. However, what they learned turned everyone's stomachs. This Kamoshida outright _raped_ Shiho and not simply implied like what happened with their Shiho. Makoto was shocked to learn Crimson!Makoto had gotten involved in the situation and almost became Kamoshida's next victim, leading to Akira taking a beating for her sake. Moreover, Kamoshida's Palace was far worse when a Cognitive Shiho showed up to infuriate Crimson!Ann.

"That's horrible! I can't believe _that_ happened! Shiho…!" Ann growled, leading to Ren and Ryuji to calm their friend down.

"I know, but that's what happened to that Ann. It didn't happen when we entered Kamoshida's Palace," Ren reminded her of their first Palace missions.

Unlike their world's Justine and Caroline, P5-Crimson's were described like Lovecraftian horrors rather than prison guard attendants.

If Ann hadn't heard enough, she learned Crimson!Ann exhibited far more selfish tendencies and emotional outbursts towards others who caused her and her friends problems. There was an incident when Crimson!Makoto came to visit Crimson!Shiho at the hospital purely to ask her questions about the identity of the Crimson!Phantom Thieves. Having learned her friend, Crimson!Ann, is a Phantom Thief, Crimson!Shiho refused and lashed out at Crimson!Makoto for not doing anything to stop her from jumping off the school's roof. This triggered Crimson!Shiho's PTSD, eventually leading to Crimson!Ann to learn Crimson!Makoto came to see her friend without consent. Feeling guilt over this, Crimson!Makoto asked to see Akira, but she ended up meeting him _and_ Crimson!Ann. Crimson!Ann slapped her and lashed out with malicious words that hurt Crimson!Makoto and walked away claiming Akira to be her boyfriend, which was all a front just to get Crimson!Makoto to stop investigating them. And this as a result drove a wedge between Akira and Crimson!Makoto, causing the former to feel terrible for this happening.

"So, the other me slapped that Makoto and gave Akira the ultimatum to choose between her or us the Phantom Thieves," Ann was appalled to find this out. She exchanged looks with Ren and Makoto. "I just want you to know…

"It's ok. Remember, we're not _them_." Makoto smiled and nodded, swiveling her head back and forth.

"And our hearts are tied together, Ann. Makoto is our friend we can depend on," Ren said, sliding an arm over Ann's back shoulders.

"Thanks, Ren," she gently patted his hand.

"Hey, get this. The other me sounds like a much nicer cat than me," Morgana noted.

Ryuji flapped his lips. "Pffft, yeah. You don't sound that different to me."

"That's not true! The other Morgana is a nicer!"

"By how much, cat?"

"Um… a _little_?"

"Not much a difference. Hey if that's true, maybe we should trade Morganas!"

Haru frowned. "Ryuji, that's not right. Our Mona-chan stays."

Ann frowned. "Yeah, no one replaces _our_ Morgana!"

"I was only joking."

Morgana hissed at him. "Doesn't sound like that to me!"

Futaba twiddled her thumbs. "Ooo, all this talk about parallel dimensions and some alternate doppelgangers of ours. This sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi novel or flick!" As she adjusted her glasses, the rays from a light post gleamed off her lens, giving her a mad scientist look. "Muahahaha, this has my speculative nerves tingling!"

"So, elaborate what you think about this other dimension?" Yusuke curiously asked her.

"Let's recap, my deductive Inari. My counterpart goes by the name of Ali Baba, who sounds just slightly close to Alibaba. Just separate and put a space between the 'i' and 'b'. That makes all the difference in the world. She also has a connection to this group called the Tatterdemalion. Is that right, Akira?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Futaba pressed and folded her hands together like Ikari Gendo. "So, not only do I have a connection with another group, but I still make anime pop culture references. But, the way the other me contacts the Phantom Thieves is done differently, too. Ali Baba mails a package to LeBlanc for Akira, contacts him, and already knows the names of the Phantom Thieves, minus Morgana. Then, Ali Baba plants a bug in the same where Akira needed Iwai to track it down. Mmmhmm, genius move on the other me's part if it weren't for Akira's paranoia."

"So, what about the pop culture stuff you cling to so much?" Yusuke asked Futaba.

"Well, in P5-Crimson, a theme park named Destinyland exists whereas here we have Tokyo Disneyland, but we often call it 'destinyland', so really no differences there. Let's see… I don't hear a lot or anything about Kamen Rider or Super Sentai, but Phoenix Ranger Featherman R still exists and is the sole Japanese superhero franchise!"

"Does that make you happy?"

"Sure, I guess, Inari, but I like other stuff, too. I wonder if the other me has collectibles that I don't even have?"

Haru was quite surprised to learn Crimson!Haru was involved with Morgana much earlier. In fact, Crimson!Haru first met Akira at the same workplace before getting involved with Phantom Thief business. Moreover, Crimson!Haru was still set to be engaged to her fiancé Rin Sugimura. Yes, _Rin_ Sugimura. The Sugimura that Haru was arranged to marry didn't have Rin for a given name. Crimson!Haru became Crimson!Makoto's friend all while they were trying to identify the Crimson!Phantom Thieves, which built their friendship. Prior to becoming a Thief, she accidentally traversed to Mementos.

Crimson!Haru's codename was initially _Rose_ until she changed it to _Noir_ once she fully committed to work with the Thieves.

Yusuke learned Crimson!Madarame was not only worse off, but his Shadow was a businessman and his Palace ended up being a factory instead of a museum. After confessing, Crimson!Madarame ended up dying after a former student of his stabbed him. Yusuke also found out Crimson!Yusuke's mother's name was Chisako.

The group also learned other useful tidbits: Crimson!Principal Kobayakawa died earlier than in their world and was replaced by an older woman named Toko Shiori, who appeared to have sinister and ulterior motives involving Akira. Crimson!Akechi has a third Persona named Fenris.

Crimson!Sugimura was initially involved with Crimson!Kaneshiro's gang. Much to the Thieves' surprise, they learned Crimson!Sugimura has a Palace, which ended up being his car. Haru was not pleased to find out Crimson!Sugimura had a sad backstory as a child when he first met Crimson!Haru. Haru even felt sorry for him, despite the fact that Crimson!Sugimura was far more possessive and unhinged as an individual than the Sugimura she's used to know. Crimson!Shadow Sugimura turned into a werewolf during his fight with the Crimson!Phantom Thieves. He ended up dying after Crimson!Kaneshiro ordered a hit on Crimson!Sugimura's limo driver, who under the influence of a mental shutdown drove the car off into Tokyo Bay.

Speaking of Crimson!Kaneshiro, he was a far more imposing and different kind of monster than the Thieves were led to believe. While their Junya Kaneshiro was short, rotund, and ultimately an incompotent crime lord, Crimson!Kaneshiro was a muscular, taller, and extremely competent criminal who dubbed himself the 'Dragon' looking to overthrow his 'Boss' and take over Shibuya. As of now, Crimson!Kaneshiro remains a threat and has taken Akira under his wing.

Beyond her counterpart's relationship with Akira, Makoto learned Crimson!Makoto and Crimson!Sae's father was named Akihiko, who was a victim of Crimson!Kaneshiro.

Most importantly, as it relates to Ren, he learned one distinct difference between him and Akira. When discussing the foundation of the Phantom Thieves, Ren had no objections helping his friends reform society from the 'shitty adults' who've corrupted their city. Whereas when this was discussed with Akira, Akira wasn't sure and ended up traumatized when he witnessed a mental shutdown first hand in a restroom at that same hotel. This horrific event had Akira regret his decision despite the team's goals to change society. Also, Akira never bumped into Shido near the elevator during the Thieves's buffet.

"So, even though our worlds are the same, they couldn't be anymore different," Ren told them all he could share. He pushed the glasses up and sighed. "So, anymore thoughts?"

There was silence until Ryuji broke that minute of tranquility.

"Dude, I have so many other questions…"

"We don't want to know too much about what happens in this dimension beyond all we've come to learn," Morgana plainly said. "We're going there to find and destroy the Yami Matter that's taken root there."

"Right, we go in there and swiftly destroy the Yami Matter above all else," Makoto informed everyone.

"But, what if we bump into our Crimson selves?" Ann wondered.

"Well, for one thing, it could cause confusion. Certainly for them." Yusuke pointed out.

"Yeah, and we might like y'know mess up their timeline or something rather," Ryuji said.

"Nah, that's time travel. This would be dimensional traveling," Futaba corrected him.

"What's the difference?"

"We're going into a completely different world from ours. It's not our world's past or future. Whatever we do there won't have any effect here. You follow?" Futaba waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I think I am. It's not time travel. Our world should be ok."

"Yeah, but we should try and be mindful. We don't want them to know too much of our world," Ren suggested.

"If that's the case, I don't think all of us should go," Makoto said.

"Why shouldn't we, Mako-chan?" Haru turned to her girlfriend in question.

"To avoid confusion, I suggest myself and Futaba stay behind. From what we know, the other me and Futaba's counterpart haven't become Phantom Thieves yet. Yes, they know about the Phantom Thieves's identities, but the other me has only started working closely with Akira and his crew. The other Futaba still hasn't met the Thieves in person."

"That's a good idea," Hifumi finally spoke up.

"You think so, Hifumi?" Ren asked her.

"If the other world's Makoto and Futaba saw Queen and Oracle, they will certainly have questions to be asked. We want to avoid such an inconvenience as much as we can."

"Which we won't have the time to sit down and explain to our counterparts. while the Yami Matter is still at large. Good thinking you two," Morgana nodded to Makoto and Hifumi.

"Better to be inconspicuous," Makoto said as she turned to Futaba.

"I'll stay behind, too, for the team."

Ren glanced at each Phantom Thief and nodded. "Alright, it's decided then. We make a quick trip into this dimension, locate, and destroy the Yami Matter. It's entirely possible we'll meet our counterparts. If we do, we don't hesitate to ask them for help."

The Thieves nodded in unison.

"Hifumi, you know what to do," Morgana asked the Shogi woman.

"Of course."

The Phantom Thief leader approached the spot where the Yami Matter presence closed. He reached over to touch, but nothing happened. Hifumi walked over and put her hand out to probe the Yami Matter's shadowy essence.

"I can feel it. It's slipping away, but it's there and has taken root in this parallel dimension," Hifumi informed them.

"Ryuji's also right. I can sense the presence of Mementos on the other side," Morgana referenced Ryuji's statement. "If this world is like ours, then Mementos still exists for them."

"Which means our counterparts, if they even exist, haven't beaten Yaldabaoth yet," Yusuke stated.

"Well, that's more the reason why we should go," Haru insisted they leave as quickly as possible.

"I want to see what it wants from this parallel dimension," Morgana poked his paw through the spot where the distortion used to be.

Ann took a glance to her husband. "Ren. Sweetie, let's go and investigate. Once we beat it, we can come right back home."

"Yeah. Ok, Hifumi. Go ahead and open a path for us."

"Are you sure your mind is made up, Ren?" Hifumi inquired.

"Yeah. We're set."

"Of course," the Shogi woman softly smiled. As white light formed in her hands, Hifumi focused hard. She ran her hands through the space where the distortion was before it closed. She conjured a new dimensional portal. She and the others felt a warm and rancid scent from the space coming out of the portal.

The Thieves recognized this strange but otherworldly realm they were about to enter.

"Oh yeah. That's Mementos alright!" Morgana cried out. "Let's get on with this!"

"Be careful, everyone!" Makoto called out to them. "Haru!" She waved to her curly-haired girlfriend.

"Tell us all about P5-Crimson when you get back! I'll be dying to know! That goes double for you, Inari!" Futaba hollered.

Without hesitation, Morgana hopped through the portal first. The other Thieves were taken aback by Morgana's bold and daring move. They exchanged nods and resolved as well. Yusuke and Haru went in next. Ren, Ann, and Ryuji were the last three to jump through the portal.

Withdrawing her hands, Hifumi let out a deep breath and fell to a knee. "Good luck, my friends. And be careful out there."

xxxxx

_**Dimension: P5-Crimson/Mementos**_

When the group passed through Hifumi's portal, they scanned their surroundings. It was indeed the Mementos they remembered from several years back. They remembered the hellish underground cityscape. Seeing the twisted version of the underground Tokyo subway system connected by a series of other subway tunnels brought back horrific memories. There was not a single Shadow around to be seen. They counted their blessings and hoped they don't run into any.

Now that they're in Mementos, the group were in their Phantom Thief guises. Ren became Joker. Ann became Panther. Ryuji became Skull. Morgana became Mona. Yusuke became Fox. Haru became Noir.

"I know we've been Phantom Thieves again, but man being back in freakin' Mementos takes me back," Skull scanned the crimson-filled atmosphere.

"I hope you don't mean good memories, because I hoped we'd never see Mementos again," Panther remarked.

"Yes, I must concur," Noir nodded with the only other female teammate present.

"So, the Yami Matter is hiding out somewhere. Where do we even look?" Fox wondered.

"Let's try something. Everyone, take out your phones," Joker instructed.

"Ooo, good thinking, Joker!" Mona approved.

As the Thieves whipped out their phones, they saw the Metaverse Navigator apps flashing on their phones.

"Holy shit! The apps are on our phones!" Skull exclaimed.

"Perhaps now we can use it to track the last place the Yami Matter manifested in this dimension," Fox suggested.

"Right," Joker nodded as he prepared to finger tap the crimson Metaverse Navigator app. "Let's get moving. I know it's been a while since we last explored Mementos."

"No sweat, it'll be as simple as learning to ride a bike again," Panther replied with confidence.

"Yes, but I suggest we stay as a group. For all we know, this dimension's Mementos might play by different rules than the one we're used to," Noir pointed out a likely possibility.

"Fair point. Joker, we should still use precaution," Mona reminded him.

With that, Joker took these concerns with serious consideration and led his Phantom Thieves into Mementos. They utilized their navigators to search for the nearest Yami Matter activity. The further they explored PS-Crimson's Mementos, the more it reminded them of the one from back home. There were no real differences. The creepy and otherworldly atmosphere was still the same.

Just then, the Thieves noticed some activity in the form of red glowing beacons on their navigators. However, it was a bunch of signals coming from a number of various otherworldly entities. Creatures they had fought before.

"Yo, check it out!" Skull pointed to the glowing energy beacons on his navigator.

"Know what this means?" Panther turned to Joker, who responded with a sly grin.

"Shadows. And why am I getting the feeling our counterparts are there fighting them?" the Phantom Thief leader smirked. "Let's check this out."

"Right, but let's advise caution," Noir suggested.

"Let's catch them by surprise," Fox stated.

"Then, it's decided. Surprise ambush coming up," Mona nodded.

Without hesitation, the Phantom Thieves headed for the fray where Shadows were in the middle of an all-out brawl with another party. The group took cover and watched as several Shadows quivered and collapsed. The slain Shadows dissolved into black dust.

Several large humanoids wearing bird masks were confronted and stopped by another group that looked just like the Phantom Thieves. No, they just didn't look like the Thieves. They _are_ the Phantom Thieves of P5-Crimson.

Joker (P5-Crimson) was seen somersaulting over a bird-masked humanoid. He yanked the mask of this creature, causing it to explode into a formless blob of black mass before shapeshifting into an anthropomorphic bull with odd-shaped shoulder guards and a lower half entirely made of green metal. The Moloch emerged and snorted angrily, ready to attack the Phantom Thieves (P5-Crimson).

Joker (P5-Crimson) wasted no time ripping the mask of the others, revealing their 'true forms'. In similar fashion like The Moloch, an attractive blonde-haired elf woman wearing a long, sleek black dress and no footwear materialized. This was Leanan Sidhe. The third was a purple-skinned humanoid garbed in a red cloak and armed with a long sickle. This was Chernobog.

"Let's take them out!" Joker (P5-Crimson) declared as he and the Thieves (P5-Crimson) engaged the three Shadows.

Joker (P5-Crimson) and Mona (P5-Crimson) rushed to head off The Moloch. Panther (P5-Crimson) and Skull (P5-Crimson) took on Leanan Sidhe. Fox (P5-Crimson) and Noir (P5-Crimson) engaged Chernobog.

The Thieves quietly watched their P5-Crimson counterparts take on the Shadows.

"Wow… so freakin' cool. I can't believe we're watching us," Skull couldn't help himself. He got giddy with excitement as old memories of him and his friends taking on Shadows in Mementos played out like a movie in his mind.

"Hey, look. My counter's still using Zorro! That takes me back!" Mona gloated upon seeing his counterpart summoning his Persona.

Mona (P5-Crimson)'s Zorro slashed at The Moloch with a few rapier strikes. Joker (P5-Crimson) then slowed it down with a few pistol shots. Ultimately, the Phantom Thief leader (P5-Crimson) took it down with a head shot. The Moloch bellowed its last roars as it collapsed and dissolved into black dust.

"Looking cool, Joker!" Mona (P5-Crimson) praised his partner.

"Thanks. Now, let's see you try to look as cool as me," Joker (P5-Crimson) sardonically remarked.

Upon hearing this, Joker dipped his head and sighed.

"Hey, you were cocky as he was then," Mona reminded him.

"Takes me back," Panther giggled as she watched Panther (P5-Crimson) brandish her whip and ensnare Leanan Sidhe.

The elf woman tried fighting back with a _**Psio**_ attack. Panther (P5-Crimson) evaded. Skull (P5-Crimson) then charged and smacked the elf woman in the face with an iron pipe. Knocked off to the side, Leanan Sidhe tried to fight back, but Panther (P5-Crimson) smothered her with flames from her summoned Carmen. After being hit by _**Agidyne**_, the Shadow screamed in horrific pain as she was reduced to dust.

"Wow, Carmen really brings back memories," Panther's cheeks blushed with jubilation. "The other me uses her almost flawlessly!"

Chernobog was quickly finished off by Fox (P5-Crimson) and Noir (P5-Crimson)'s tandem attacks. Noir took her axe and hacked Chernobog into pieces.

"So, how did I do, Fox?" Noir (P5-Crimson) turned to her teammate, who nervously tried to put on the biggest smile to convey how proud he was, but just remembered Noir (P5-Crimson) just hacked the Shadows into bits before they finished him off.

"Um, splendid work! That was what I call… a work of art."

Ignoring the fact she was wiping a Shadow's dust off her cheek, Noir (P5-Crimson) genuinely smiled. "Thank you."

Noir and Fox both turned to each other.

"So, I'm here much earlier than what happened in our dimension," Noir murmured.

""It would appear that way according to what we've learned," Fox said.

The Phantom Thieves (P5-Crimson) gathered to take a breather after what seemed like a cakewalk for them. However, celebrations were cut short when more black masses appeared near them. From these black masses came more Shadows.

"Damn! We're surrounded! More than three enemies!" Mona (P5-Crimson) warned the group.

The Shadows that appeared were Lilith, Melchizedek, Ose, Baphomet, Pisaca, Mara, and Abaddon.

"Oh great! More of them?!" Panther (P5-Crimson) cried out.

"Sheesh, I know they usually come in packs, but this is ridiculous!" Skull (P5-Crimson) exclaimed.

Just then, the Phantom Thieves noticed these Shadows bore reddish glows in their eyes. Each one were enveloped in black auras. They recognized these similar black anomalous energy take over the four cryptids from Akihabara and the Yokai that attacked Meiji Shrine.

"Check it out! It's that damned black matter we've seen before!" Mona pointed out.

"Oh crap! The other Phantom Thieves don't even know about the Yami Matter!" Panther cried out.

"They're gonna get their asses kicked badly if we don't get in there!" Skull exclaimed.

"Joker, we need to get in there and…!" Mona turned and saw Joker no longer sitting by him. "Um, Joker?"

As Joker (P5-Crimson) blasted Baphomet with his gun, the rounds barely fazed the black-furred and winged demonic goat. Baphomet went on the attack and unleashed _**Agnidyne**_. In response, Joker (P5-Crimson) summoned a bright crimson and black demonic-looking humanoid with a black tophat, black waistcoat, a black and red demonic visage with bent horns pointing the frontal direction, and massive 15-foot long, 12-foot high black, feathered wings. He summoned Arsène into battle and sent it to attack Baphomet. Arsène went for a _**Cleave**_ attack, but Baphomet quickly dodged the Persona's attack and went straight for Joker (P5-Crimson) instead.

"Shit…!" Joker (P5-Crimson) cursed as he became gripped with fear as the Shadow came straight for him.

"JOKER!" The other Thieves (P5-Crimson) yelled and tried intervening, but the other Shadows, powered by the black matter, swiftly stopped them.

Joker (P5-Crimson) saw his own fate about to be written before his eyes. Rather than anticipating the next day spent with his friends or getting to the bottom of the next Palace case involving Kaneshiro, he was about to die at the hands of a mere Shadow!

Then, that was quickly prevented in the blink of an eye. Joker (P5-Crimson) saw another Joker standing in front of him and summoning a Persona he had never seen before.

"I'll handle this with style, _Joker_," the Phantom Thief reassured him as he invoked Satanael into battle.

The other Phantom Thieves (P5-Crimson) were quickly taken aback by this newcomer who looked like their leader. Joker commanded Satanael to strike down Baphomet in short order. Satanael obliterated the Shadow with _**Maeigaon**_. The other Shadows converged their attacks on Satanael. This desperate action prompted the Phantom Thieves to come out of hiding, further baffling the Crimson!Phantom Thieves.

"Take them down, Thieves!" Mona beckoned the group to counterstrike the Shadows.

Readying her whip, Panther attacked Lilith. The empowered Shadow gracefully moved away and dove in for an attack. A smirk formed on Panther's lips.

Panther (P5-Crimson)'s jaw dropped when Panther summoned Hecate, a Persona that the former never seen before.

Hecate blasted and obliterated Lilith with _**Maragidyne**_.

"No freaking way! The other me has a different Persona than mine and it completely wiped a Shadow we were having trouble with!" Panther (P5-Crimson) exclaimed.

"Well, Mona-chan. Are they really us or is this some trick the Shadows are using to throw us off?" Noir (P5-Crimson) queried to the concerned feline.

"It would seem unlikely they are Shadow creations meant to deceive us, but there is that possibility. That's a wise assessment, Noir," Fox (P5-Crimson) added.

"Are you kidding?! Just look at them go to town on these fucking Shadows!" Skull (P5-Crimson) cheered as he watched Skull blast away Ose with shotgun blasts.

As Joker fired with his pistol at Baphomet, it distracted the Shadow long enough for Satanael to blast it away with _**Riot Gun**_.

One of the Shadows, Mara, melted into the ground and resurfaced behind Joker. The green smeg-faced, tentacled blob tried to grab Joker.

"Hey! Behind you!" Joker (P5-Crimson) called out to his counterpart and sent Arsène to intercept the Shadow.

When Joker turned to face the creature, he prepared to fire with his pistol. Satanael readied to defend the Thief, but Arsène intervened and cleaved the Shadow in two. Mara's body pulsated and melted into goop as it dissolved.

"Thanks," Joker turned to acknowledge his P5-Crimson counterpart's aid. The two Jokers then briefly glanced each other down. "Wow, I haven't changed much."

Joker (P5-Crimson) queried, equally curious. "You're really me?"

"It's…"

"...complicated? Yeah, I say that a lot to people here," Joker (P5-Crimson) remarked.

Meanwhile, Skull, Fox, and Noir helped their P5-Crimson counterparts finish off the remaining Shadows, until Pisaca remained. The Shadow attempted to flee, but was ultimately stopped dead in its tracks by the two Skulls. Skull blasted a hole through it with his shotgun all while Skull (P5-Crimson) cracked his iron pipe over it.

After finishing the Shadow, the Skulls exchanged curious glances and rubbed their chins at the same time.

"Damn, you even got a mad goatee going," Skull (P5-Crimson) fancied his counterpart's chin beard. "Looks like I get better with age."

Skull chuckled as he pointed to the other Skull. "Isn't this guy just great?"

The Panthers groaned. "You haven't changed, Skull."

Then, the Panthers took a look at each other.

"Wow, and speaking of age, I get even sexier!" Panther (P5-Crimson) gleefully squeed. "My figure gets curvier, my ass shows more, and god that hair! It looks a lot prettier when I let it down." She poked at her own bushy pigtails. "Hmm, maybe I should let it down? What do you think, other me?"

Panther just stands there letting her alternate, younger self heap her with praise and ask for hair tips. "Ummm, that's up to you, but I'd keep it like that until you graduate. Just stay cute until you get my age." She couldn't believe she was giving advice to herself.

The Noirs checked each other out and nodded.

"Well, it appears I haven't changed much either," Noir (P5-Crimson) assessed her alternate, older self. "I'm quite ok with that."

Noir bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet _myself_."

Noir (P5-Crimson) did the same. "Yes, same to you."

The Foxs examined one another as if they were living works of art. Fox (P5-Crimson) meticulously noted the ponytail the other one wore.

"Hmm, so I allow my hair to grow out as I age. Interesting, but not so surprising. Artists tend to do that to change their image," Fox (P5-Crimson) analyzed his counterpart.

"And I take it my taste for beautiful and exquisite art hasn't changed?" Fox queried, to which Fox (P5-Crimson) merely smiled and let a simple nod answer his inquiry. "That's good to know."

Finally, the Monas faced each other like they were opposite ends of a mirror. They matched each other's movements and facial expressions.

"So, you guys aren't Shadows. That much we now know," Joker (P5-Crimson) addressed the Phantom Thieves. "But, where did you come from?"

"Would you believe a parallel dimension from yours?" Joker plainly answered.

"Yes!" Mona (P5-Crimson) shouted, garnering the attention from his group. "What? It sounds believable enough!"

"Wow, so there's a whole other world where we exist and we're older?" Noir (P5-Crimson) wondered about the possibility of a parallel world from their own.

"And that we're still doing the Phantom Thief thing?" Panther (P5-Crimson) added.

"Not to mention you seem to be using different Personas," Fox (P5-Crimson) noted the presence of Satanael and Hecate.

"So, are Shadows still running loose and we still kicking ass and taking names?" Skull (P5-Crimson) inserted another barrage of questions that the Phantom Thieves would have to explain.

Joker wondered how much of their future they should tell their P5-Crimson counterparts. On the plus side, no matter what they reveal won't affect their world since they're not from an alternate _timeline_, but rather a separate alternate _dimension_. On the downside, they didn't want to muddle the P5-Crimson dimension and lead it astray from its originally intended path.

"Let's just say our conflicts with Shadows was resolved years ago. We're fighting something else entirely these days," Joker said without revealing too much.

Joker (P5-Crimson) nodded. "Right, well either way thanks for helping us there."

"By the way, those Shadows were giving off an unusual dark glow and somehow they got tougher to beat," Panther (P5-Crimson) pointed out the dark auras that took over the Shadows.

"It's an unusual energy I've never seen before," Mona (P5-Crimson) tried to discern the Yami Matter energy that influenced the Shadows. "They did suddenly get more aggressive."

"More than they usually do? I thought we just caught them on a shitty day or somethin'," Skull (P5-Crimson) said.

Joker (P5-Crimson) approached Joker and eyed Satanael. "Is that a Persona I'm going to have one day?"

"Maybe. I can't say considering this is a different dimension."

Likewise, Panther (P5-Crimson) eyed Hecate with the curiosity like a cat.

"Seeing Carmen again takes me back," Panther glanced over her old Persona.

"Your Persona's name… I couldn't quite get it when you called her out."

"Her name is Hecate."

Panther (P5-Crimson) clasped her hands and smiled. "Wow."

"Hey, I saw you use my old Persona Zorro," Mona mentioned this to his counterpart.

"Yeah, so what's yours?" Mona (P5-Crimson) ased, which he was then caught off guard by Mona's Mercurius. "Whoa! So cool!"

"Mind showing me yours, old dude me?" Skull (P5-Crimson) asked Skull.

"Uh, sure… but don't call me old, dumbass! I'm not that much older than you!" Skull berated his P5-Crimson self. He summoned Seiten Taisei, which caught Skull (P5-Crimson) off guard. "Well?"

"Holy shit! Did you like level up Captain Kidd or something?!"

"You using Captain Kidd?"

"Yep. Here." With that, Skull (P5-Crimson) summoned Captain Kidd, which brought a ray of nostalgia to the older Phantom Thief.

"Man, it's so good to see you, Captain Kidd."

The Noirs summoned their Personas. Noir (P5-Crimson) showed off Milady.

"Yes, Milady takes me back."

"But, your Persona is magnificent, other me."

Noir showed off Astarte. "Thank you. Hopefully, she'll one day be yours."

Last but not least, Fox (P5-Crimson) conjured Goemon. Fox then surprised him and summoned Kamu Susano-o.

"What an exquisite Persona you have, other Fox," Fox (P5-Crimson) acknowledged his counterpart's evolved Persona. "It's a natural progression from Goemon. Almost like a reinvention of its previous self, just like art."

"Yes, and art cannot stagnate with time," Fox nodded.

"We may be from different dimensions, but our artistic views and tastes can't be anymore different!" They proudly boasted together.

Everyone else quietly glanced toward the artistic Phantom Thieves and turned away not paying them any mind.

"I do know our names are different," Joker addressed Joker (P5-Crimson).

"What do you mean? Isn't your name Kurusu Akira?"

"No, I'm Amamiya Ren."

"What? But, I-I don't understand."

Joker noticed his counterpart starting to sweat. "Hey, relax. Listen, why don't we talk about it outside Mementos?"

"Oh, sure," Joker (P5-Crimson) took out his cell and prepared to shift out of Mementos.

xxxxx

_**Dimension: P5-Crimson**__**/**__**Shibuya, Tokyo (**__**渋谷区**__**, **__**東京**__**)/Underground Mall/11:43 AM (JST)**_

Both sets of Phantom Thieves were back in the Underground Mall. The Phantom Thieves quickly scanned an ever so familiar location they've been into many times.

"Whoa, we're totally under Shibuya right now?" Ryuji asked the P5-Crimson!Thieves.

"Yep! Where else would we be, old dude me?" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) chuckled.

"Hey, man. Lay off the old man crap, ok?"

"This is the Underground Mall. It looks the same as it is back home," Haru eyed the underground crowd activities.

"Yes, Akira and I work in a flower shop called the Rafflesia," Haru (P5-Crimson) revealed this to the Thieves.

"Whoa, hold on! You and him work at the same place?!" Ann was taken aback.

"That's right. And even Mona-chan hangs around in the back while we're working," she went on.

"Interesting. That would've been nice to learn about that tidbit," Ann remarked as she glared toward Ren, who simply shook his head as if to say 'I didn't know'.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask where your Makoto is," Haru (P5-Crimson) asked the Thieves. "She probably knows you six are Phantom Thieves and assists when you need investigation done."

The Thieves all glanced toward the other and chuckled.

"Hmm? Is there something I said that was funny?"

"Oh, no! Don't mind us. Yes, that's exactly what our Makoto does, too," Haru said without giving away the fact that their Makoto has been a Phantom Thief member for several years.

"Did she in anyway give you guys problems?" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) queried. "'Cause she's cool now, but man she and later Haru were riding our asses trying to find out if we were Phantom Thieves."

"Damn. That sucks. Well, our Makoto can be scary stern, but she didn't go that far as to chase us around," Ryuji said.

"Mako-chan can be stubborn sometimes…" Haru (P5-Crimson) nearly finished before Ryuji (P5-Crimson) was heard laughing out loud. "Anyway, like I was saying, she can be stubborn, but Mako-chan is a very well meaning friend. _My_ best friend I've ever had."

"You have a bond with Mako-chan, too?" Haru asked her counterpart.

"In a close friendship way. Why? Are you and your Mako-chan close?"

Hearing this, Haru's smirk spread over her face and her cheeks blushed. "You could say that. I'd say our relationship even goes beyond friendship. I love her dearly."

As the Crimson!Thieves heard this, they were taken aback. Even Haru (P5-Crimson) was at a loss for words, but she smiled and couldn't be happier to see her counterpart in an intimate relationship with another Makoto.

"Heh, want to hear something crazy? Our Akira here has a thing for our Makoto!" Ryuij (P5-Crimson) patted his best friend's shoulder and smiled a big goofy grin.

"Alright, that's enough. It's not like that!" Akira scoffed with annoyance in his tone.

"Heheh, can't fool me, dude."

"Ok, since your Makoto is in a relationship with this Haru," Ann (P5-Crimson) pointed to Haru and then turned over toward Ren. "Who are you with? Or, are you single?"

"Are you kidding? Ren is _my_ husband!" Ann openly and proudly announced, folding her arm over Ren's right bicep. She showed her wedding ring and pointed to Ren's on his ring finger. "See?"

"No way! You two?!" Ann (P5-Crimson)'s jaw dropped. "I… I never would've noticed the rings you two had on."

"Well, to be fair, they were wearing gloves and clothing to cover up their rings while we were in Mementos," Yusuke (P5-Crimson) reminded them of their Phantom Thief garb concealing most of their body's areas.

Ryuji (P5-Crimson) nodded. "Wow, congrats, you two."

Ann (P5-Crimson) walked up to Ren and Ann, shaking both of their hands. "I'm happy for you two. I hope your marriage continues to go well."

"Thank you," Ren and Ann responded kindly.

"And I bet you have a girl back in your home, right? An older me with a dope beard has to have found someone, right?" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) turned to his counterpart.

Ryuji grinned. "Oh, wouldn't you want to know?"

"Well? How is she like?"

"She's a hot Osakan girl."

"Whoa, dude."

"What about you, Yusuke?" Yusuke (P5-Crimson) queried. "Have you found someone?"

"You could say that. We have quite _interesting_ chemistry." Yusuke said without mentioning Futaba's name since the Crimson!Thieves haven't met her yet and only know her at this point as Ali Baba.

"And you, Ann?" Ann asked her alternate, younger self.

As she was asked this, Ann (P5-Crimson) nervously chuckled. "Well…"

"It's me," Ryuji (P5-Crimson) interjected. "Even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh, please!" Ann (P5-Crimson) rolled her eyes at her friend's smooth dialogue.

"Anyway, you said you were here for an important reason. Did have something to do with that dark aura that influenced those Shadows?" Akira immediately brought this crucial subject to light.

"Yeah, that's what we've been dealing with as of late," Ren stated. "It's called Yami Matter and we're here to remove it from your world."

"That's right and so you guys won't have to worry about it. We have you all have a lot on your plate," Morgana said.

"Thanks, we appreciate it," Morgana (P5-Crimson) genuinely replied.

"So, where do we start?" Yusuke (P5-Crimson) asked the Phantom Thieves. "Do we need to go back to Mementos?"

"No, here's the thing. The Yami Matter can exist anywhere. We haven't had to go to Mementos in like forever," Ann said.

"If it can exist anywhere, then it'll be harder to find," Morgana (P5-Crimson) realized.

Morgana chuckled. "Oh, believe me. You don't even need to find it. It'll find us."

"We can start by exploring Shibuya," Ren suggested. "Plus, it'll be nice to see home in this dimension."

Akira smiled and nodded. "Sure, why not?"

xxxxx

_**12:20 PM (JST)**_

The two sets of Phantom Thieves left the Underground Mall and explored different corners of the Shibuya prefecture. They passed by several recognizable locations such as the Big Bang Burger, Toyo Cinemas, the Protein Lovers gym, and the Untouchable shop.

The group's outing went calm and peaceful as no obvious signs of Yami Matter activity occurred. As far as the Phantom Thieves were concerned, they wondered if the Yami Matter was biding its time and possibly waiting until they left, leaving it to spread its influence over the P5-Crimson.

The two groups then arrived at Shibuya Crossing and faced the big screens that was currently broadcasting some commercials for a body fragrance product.

"Ok, remind us again. This Yami Matter can manifest outside Mementos?" Akira turned to Ren.

"That's right. It doesn't need Mementos to simply exist. It just does and has been able to revive spirits."

"Spirits? Oh crap, that just sounds freaky!" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) shuddered at this notion.

"Yeah, but we kicked their butts!" Ryuji boasted.

"So, is it like a whole network or does it create independent entities to do its work?" Yusuke (P5-Crimson) inquired to the Phantom Thieves.

"We're still figuring that part out," Yusuke answered as best as he could.

"We're leaning to the latter since this would be the third major Yami Matter activity we're pursuing," Morgana informed them.

"Third? So, that means you've stopped it twice already," Morgana (P5-Crimson) said.

"As far as major Yami Matter events are concerned, yeah, but we've fought a couple of smaller-scaled battles with supernatural entities empowered by the Yami Matter," Morgana detailed how the Yami Matter activity has behaved since it surfaced.

"Oh, so the major Yami Matter events are like Palaces and these smaller-scaled battles would be fighting regular Shadows," Haru (P5-Crimson) drew a comparison between the Yami Matter and Shadow activities.

"That's one way of looking at it, yes," Haru nodded.

"Well, one way or another, we'll help in anyway we can," Akira offered. "Although things might get problematic if people here mistaken you for me, Ren."

"That's true, and that's why we need to act fast. We probably can't stay here for long."

"Hey, guys…" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) looked to the sky with dread.

"Not now, Ryuji! We're talking!" Ann (P5-Crimson) chided him.

"Yeah, you guys might want to look at this!" Ryuji pointed to where his counterpart was staring at.

"What? We're busy ta-!" Ann paused and blanched at the sky darkening.

As dark gray clouds quickly covered the sky, the blue sky became painted with red. Both sets of Phantom Thieves could see it, but so can everyone else.

"What the hell…?" Akira gaped as he saw the sun became black like a solar eclipse, but its rays weren't harmful to anyone's eyes.

There was a sudden and eerie tranquility as every person witnessed the same phenomenon occur. Then, it started to downpour with black drops of water, which stained like ink. If that wasn't creepy enough, Shadows began surfacing.

"Oh shit! Shadows!" Ryuji (P5-Crimson) exclaimed as he noticed the demonic creatures appearing.

"But, they aren't supposed to be here outside Mementos, right?!" Haru exclaimed.

"Yes, this is the Yami Matter at work here," Haru frowned.

"The Yami Matter has decided to make its move," Morgana looked up at Ren, who looked resolute to fight.

However, Ren glanced over and noticed Akira appearing very apprehensive about this.

"Akira? What's wrong? Snap out of it!" Ren barked at him.

"S-Shadows… here?!" Akira shouted as he gripped his chest and panted heavy breaths as if he had just ran over a mile nonstop.

"Akira!" Morgana (P5-Crimson) tried to snap his friend out of it.

The Crimson!Phantom Thieves checked on their friend as he was still trying to make sense of the horrifying imagery he was seeing. It didn't take long for the Shadows to start scaring and attacking civilians. Horrid screams from civilians were heard. Among these Shadows are Eligor, Choronzon, Black Ooze, Mithras, Ganesha, Decarabia, Dominion, Kali, Kumbhanda, Cerberus, Scathach.

"You guys tend to Akira! We'll handle this!" Ren ordered as he and his group confronted the incoming Shadows.

With that, the young adults and their cat companion willfully transformed into their Phantom Thief guises. Joker fired his pistol at a Black Ooze, but the bullet did little more than annoy it. When Panther tried to use her whip on a Ganesha, the elephant man overpowered her with a swing of its sword.

"Guys, look!" Skull pointed to the Shadows each covered in similar dark auras like the ones they fought briefly in Mementos.

"The Yami Matter are greatly enhancing them! This means the Yami Matter's influence has spread faster than we anticipated!" Fox exclaimed

"But, there's no way it should've spread this quickly!" Noir cried.

"Or, maybe that's it. This dimension has been marred with worse corruption than in our world," Mona inferred the possibility of P5-Crimson having been tainted by much stronger corrupt individuals.

"That would explain how the Yami Matter was able to spread faster," Panther realized.

Joker quickly turned around and saw Akira standing up. "Are you ok?"

"I will be… when I'm ready to fight."

"Not in your condition, you're not," Ann (P5-Crimson) reprimanded her friend.

Akira jerked his arm away from Ann (P5-Crimson). "Sorry, but we can't turn our back on them. I'm ready."

As the Yami Matter's influence continued to spread, Shibuya started to resemble a little like Mementos. The Crimson!Phantom Thieves watched in horror as their city and the landmarks became darker and inverse variations of the familiar areas. When some Shadows attacked more civilians, Akira and his friends willfully turned into Phantom Thieves.

"Hey, we're able to turn into our Thief forms now?!" Skull gets taken aback.

"I suppose this is due to the Yami Matter's influence and turning our world into a Mementos-like atmosphere," Mona (P5-Crimson) deduced.

"Whatever the case, we can now fight!" Fox (P5-Crimson) declared and summoned Goemon into battle.

"Come forth, Carmen!" Panther (P5-Crimson) conjured her Persona to blast away the Shadows from harming civilians.

The Phantom Thieves stepped in to help their P5-Crimson counterparts and half of them summoned their Personas. Joker had Lucifer ready to defend civilians from Shadows. Joker (P5-Crimson) joined in and summoned Rakshasa to fight off a Cerberus.

"There's so many of them!" Noir called out as she and Astarte fought off a swarm of Shadows.

"We've got to dwindle their numbers down!" Fox called out as he and Kamu Susano-o neutralized a few Shadows.

"Easy for you to say!" Skull screamed as he and Seiten Taisei intercepted some Shadows.

"Don't give up, guys! Keep blasting them!" Mona yelled while he and Mercurius took down a few Shadows.

While Panther summoned Hecate to fend off Shadows, she noticed the Jokers working together.

"God, how are we going to overcome this?!" Panther overheard her P5-Crimson counterpart's cries. "There's just so many! We weren't prepared for this!"

"Panther! Don't give into your negative emotions, because that's what'll fuel the Yami Matter's influence! You're making it stronger the more negative emotions you have!" Panther called out to her alternate, younger self.

Just then, the Shadows paused and started to fly into the air. The two sets of Phantom Thieves were befuddled as to what prompted the Shadows to stop fighting them. They witnessed the Shadows combine and form into a larger Shadow creature. In place of the demonic entities was a larger black mass of formless sludge. The amalgamated creature shifted its head around, revealing two bulbous red orbs that doubled as eyes. Two long limbs sprouted from the sides of its body and helped lift its massive frame off the ground.

Now wearing a similar dark aura the Shadows had, the creature raised its head and let out a loud, grotesque gurgling roar that rattled the entire Shibuya prefecture.

For the Crimson!Phantom Thieves, what started as a regular day in Mementos turned into an eventful encounter with alternate versions of themselves. That eventful occasion turned into this living and horrific hell. However, things were about to get uglier.

"Is that the Yami Matter you guys were talking about?!" Mona (P5-Crimson) turned to his alternate counterpart.

"Yeah, but we weren't expecting_ this_! Your world must've had so much of a higher concentration of corruption for the Yami Matter to feed it, it was enough to turn it into this monstrosity!" Mona exclaimed.

The Yami Matter, now known as Myrk Hedoro, set its sights on the fleeing crowds of civilians. It tossed out a few black tendrils that grabbed a handful of people, melting the skin off their bodies and reducing them into bones.

"Stop!" Joker shouted furiously as he sent Lucifer to attack Myrk Hedoro. Lucifer unleashed _**Blazing Hell**_ on the Yami Matter creature, but it absorbed the divine flames of the Persona.

Myrk Hedoro spat green goo that engulfed and dissolved Lucifer. Frantically choosing his next Persona, Joker summoned two: Satan and Michael.

"You monster!" Joker (P5-Crimson) yelled at Myrk Hedoro as Rakshasa used _**Regenerate 1**_ to heal himself. The demonic swordsman went for _**Giant Slice**_, cutting off a tendril to save a civilian, but it was too late. Joker (P5-Crimson) felt an urge to vomit at the sight of a mother holding a child, both melted alive by the creature. "Oh god… oh shit…" He backed away, completely spaced out and ignoring the fact his Rakshasa got killed off by Myrk Hedoro.

He dropped to his knees and screamed in bloody horror, unable to get the images of the melted mother and child out of his mind. The horrific images not only burned into his mind, but made his stomach stir as he vomited.

"JOKER!" Mona (P5-Crimson) called out to his friend.

"Joker, you have to snap out of it! We need everyone in this!" Joker tried to let his words reach his alternate, younger self.

"I can't…" Joker (P5-Crimson) panted, coughing out a putrid mix of saliva and vomit.

"YES, YOU CAN!"

"You didn't see… a woman and her kid… oh god…!" Joker (P5-Crimson) folded his arms around his waist.

"C'mon, man! We gotta fight or the people we know will get killed by this fucker!" Skull (P5-Crimson) hollered.

"But…"

"JOKER! WE NEED YOU!" Panther (P5-Crimson) pleaded.

Clenching his fist, Joker (P5-Crimson) punched the ground hard four times. "Shit! Shit! Damn it! Damn it!" He gritted his teeth and threw his head backward. "I'm going to die today, aren't I?!" He took a deep breath and summoned Decarabia. He sent Decarabia to assist Joker's Satan and Michael against Myrk Hedoro.

As everyone's Personas fought off Myrk Hedoro, many watched the monster battle occur in real time. Despite a few lives being lost, the Personas were able to prevent anymore deaths for the time being.

As the two sets of Phantom Thieves regrouped, they saw their combined Persona forces couldn't properly damage and destroy the combined Shadow.

"Dudes, you know we can go full Persona's Ascendancy…?" Skull reminded his colleagues.

"No, doing that would only cause worse collateral damage," Joker muttered, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth hard. Seeing the untold destruction and deaths occur stirred a fury within him.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Panther (P5-Crimson) overheard.

"Don't worry about it. We just need to find a way to bring this thing down!" Panther cut her off.

Panther (P5-Crimson) nodded, but stared suspiciously at the older Phantom Thieves.

"Oh shit! That thing's overpowering all of our Personas!" Skull (P5-Crimson) yelled out as Myrk Hedoro unleashed a thunderous roar that not only knocked away the Personas, but shattered nearly every glass window within the vicinity.

Witnessing their Personas either being blown away or outright destroyed, both sets of Phantom Thieves fell into despair. The creature then set its sights on more civilians and ensnared them with tentacles and acidic sludge blasts. What followed were the blood-curdling screams of civilians and the collapse of buildings when Myrk Hedoro moved away from the Phantom Thieves.

"No, this is terrible!" Noir (P5-Crimson) sank to her knees, falling into utter despair. Being the newest member of the Crimson!Phantom Thieves, she had yet to experience anything of this level of wanton destruction and horrific imagery.

Noir quickly consoled her P5-Crimson self. "We're going to get through this, Haru…" When she saw her younger self crying, she, too, shed tears.

"Hey, you fucking mass of chickenshit sludge! Get back here!" Skull furiously yelled at Myrk Hedoro. "Guys, we've got to follow it!"

"But, that thing defeated our Personas! What more can we do to it?!" Fox (P5-Crimson) shouted.

"No, it's not over…!" Joker growled as he bit his lip so hard it started to bleed out. He ignored the pain. He clenched his right hand and placed it over the left side of his mask.

"Joker?" Mona approached him.

"Ren," Panther muttered his name, her concern for her husband increased.

Joker (P5-Crimson) glanced over to his older counterpart. "What's wrong with…?" He paused and noticed blue fire leak out of Joker's mask.

As Myrk Hedoro continued its rampage over Shibuya, Joker's emotional distress became unbridled. He lets out a deafening blood-curdling scream as the blue flames from his mask seared through and engulfed him. Both sets of Phantom Thieves quickly withdrew from the blue flames erupting like a mighty inferno.

"REN!" Joker (P5-Crimson) shouted to him, watching his counterpart enveloped inside a pillar of blue fire.

"_**REN!**_" Panther screamed fearfully for her husband. As she reached for him, Skull seized her. "Let me go!"

Skull said nothing as he kept Panther at bay from the burning Joker, who stood but no longer screamed with agony. He raised his head and grabbed his mask. With a quick thug of his mask, he ripped it off his face. Blood quickly spilled from his face. Joker's face became crimson as blood smeared over and became something like a mask.

Then, Joker's body began to grow. He continued to grow as his Phantom Thief garb vanished. His humanoid form grew until he reached a 25 feet tall, three-headed dragon. Joker's body structure became shaped like a wyvern's. Sprouting from the dragon's arms are two black angelic demonic wings. The beast had talons like a bird. The middle head became draconic variation of Satanael's face. The right head is shaped like a draconic Lucifer. The left head is shaped like a draconic Satan.

The Phantom Thieves looked on with horror, recalling Joker had taken on this form before. This was Joker's alternate Persona's Ascendancy transformation. It happened during their last battle with Yaldabaoth ΩZ.

However, this was completely new and out there for the Crimson!Phantom Thieves. This was their first glimpse of a Persona's Ascendancy in person.

"Shit, he's become Satanael ΩX!" Skull cried fearfully.

"Not just that, but that's his Devil Hydra form!" Mona wailed.

"And here we thought we'd refrain from taking this course of action!" Fox paled.

"The other you just turned into a big ass monster!" Skull (P5-Crimson) freaked out.

"What the hell kind of world are they from?!" Panther (P5-Crimson) shouted in aghast.

"_**REN!**_" Panther once again called out to her husband, but her voice seemingly couldn't reach him as Satanael ΩX turned away and headed straight for Myrk Hedoro's direction.

As Satanael ΩX crashed through the giant screens, it perched on top of the ruined buildings. The monster's three heads roared one by one in harmony, producing bellows that sounded like high-pitched crackling roars, which became louder. Loud enough to draw Myrk Hedoro's attention. The middle head bellowed and blew blue flames from its gaping maw.

Myrk Hedoro returned to confront Satanael ΩX and retorted with an antagonistic gurgling roar. The black sludge creature expelled acidic spray, which Satanael ΩX evaded. Satanael ΩX landed on Myrk Hedoro's left side. All three heads started expelling blue flames. Myrk Hedoro rushed the three-headed wyvern, but by the time it reached Satanael ΩX it was decided.

Three flamed blasts from Satanael ΩX converged into a single dark flamed sphere. Satanael ΩX's _**Sinful Neutron Blast**_ completely obliterated Myrk Hedoro and ended the Yami Matter monster.

"Alright, take that, you slimy bastard!" Skull exclaimed.

"No, something's wrong! Look!" Noir pointed to Satanael ΩX losing sense of itself and spreading its blue flames across Shibuya.

A citywide flame storm began sweeping through the prefecture, incinerating anything in its path. The roars from Satanael ΩX continued to be heard as all the known citizens witnessed the horrific scenes unfold.

Among those witnessing Satanael ΩX's attack was Niijima Makoto (P5-Crimson), who was on her way to find Akira and company. She became horrified by what was transpiring.

"Oh god, this can't be real! This isn't Mementos, is it?!" Makoto (P5-Crimson) reached for her phone to call Akira. Then, she got a quick call from Sae. "Sis? Yeah, I'm seeing what you're seeing! I'm nowhere close, but listen… don't look for me! I'm out to get my friend Haru and others!"

"_Makoto, you get the hell away from there! Makoto…? MAKO-!_" She hung up and headed to find her friends.

xxxxx

Another who witnessed Satanael ΩX's mindless attack were Niijima Sae, who had just contacted Makoto but failed to convince her to come back. Sae quickly got up and left to find Makoto before it was too late.

Others witnesses to the event: Akechi Goro and his father Shido Masayoshi, who were both together observing the hell being unleashed on their home.

Tae Takemi, Iwai Munehisa, Ohya Ichiko, Yoshida Toranosuke, and Sakura Futaba were other witnesses to this attack.

Outside of Shujin Academy, an older woman in her 50s named Toko Shiori, the new principal who replaced the now deceased Kobayakawa, watched the horrific events unfold. A look of dread smeared on her face, breaking her usually calm exterior.

Coming out of their hideout, a yakuza group led by a tall, muscular man garbed in a gray suit merged. This imposing yakuza man was P5-Crimson's version of Kaneshiro Junya, a complete contrast to his shorter, fatter, and incompotent Kaneshiro from the Phantom Thieves's dimension. This Kaneshiro, a man who referred to himself to his followers and enemies as 'the Dragon', became a witness to a _literal _three-headed dragon. A look of fear smeared over his usually fearless face.

xxxxx

Makoto (P5-Crimson) gained enough ground and was close to her friends. As she turned a corner, she bumped into an older gentleman in a policeman garb.

"Mini-Makoto?! What are you doing here?!" The policeman was surprised to see Sae's younger sister. This man is Sae and Makoto's father's old police friend, Kagawa Hideotoshi.

"Please, I need to get to my friends!"

"We're evacuating Shibuya because of the wildfires! Your sister would kill me if anything happened to you!"

"But, I have to know if my friends…!"

"Please for your own safety, Mini-Makoto…!" Before he could finish, a burst of blue flames swept through and incinerated a crowd of civilians, some being burned alive. As flames headed their way, Kagawa pushed Makoto away and took the impact of the blue flames. "_**RUN, MAKOTO!**_" His screams ceased as he was completely wiped out by the flames.

Makoto's jaw dropped and her face paled. Her heart pounded hard against her chest. She cried out hysterically and got up heading down another way from the flames.

xxxxx

Elsewhere, an organization called Tatterdemalion witnessed Satanael ΩX on its rampage. The members consisted of the leader, Maki 'Juni' Junichiro; second in charge, Akio aka Aki; the bartender Kaneko; the smart bruiser Dunk; the disguise mastering homeless woman Mori, and the twins Ai & Niko. Unlike others, they were away from the wildfire that spread, but if they stayed behind much longer they'll become victims, too.

"We're going to have to get out of here, Juni," Aki addressed him. He saw Juni terrified out of his mind. "Yo, we need to get the fuck out! Or, we're dead!"

"Y-Yeah, right… let's get out of here," Juni came to his senses.

xxxxx

"Damn it! Why the hell aren't you answering, Akira?!" Ohya (P5-Crimson) growled as she yelled into her phone, getting no response. She waited again. No response. "Shit! He's probably in an area where it's out of service… how else am I going to get in touch with him?!"

When she arrived at the Phantom Thieves's location, she blinked thrice upon seeing two sets of them. She couldn't have been imagining two Phantom Thief groups. She hadn't even had a drink since the other night.

"I know I'm sober… and Akira said that… this is my chance for that meeting!" Ohya readied her camera. "Hey! Phantom Thieves!"

The two Phantom Thief groups saw Ohya heading their way.

_What?! Oh no, Ohya!_ Joker (P5-Crimson) gasped in thought. "Hey, get away! It's dangerous here!"

"I'm not leaving until I get my interview with not just one, but _two_ Phantom Thief groups!"

"But…!"

"I told Akira I'd get my interview one way or another! It's a reporter's duty to get the latest news even during the most dangerous situations!"

"This is different! Get away from here for your own good!" Joker (P5-Crimson) beckoned her away.

"Who do you take me for?! I'm Ohya Ichiko! Nothing's going to keep me from getting my sto-!" And just like that the dragon's blue flames swept through and engulfed her. Ohya's eyes widened in shock and horror with no time to react as she collapsed and burned away. Her camera hit the ground and was destroyed by the flames.

Having witnessed Ohya die before him, Joker (P5-Crimson) became unnerved and grabbed his chest as his heart pounded heart. He dropped to a knee and panted, falling into an overly anxious and stressed state. The Crimson!Phantom Thieves tended to their leader again to calm him down.

"Sh-She's gone! I-I…" Joker (P5-Crimson) cried out.

Panther (P5-Crimson)'s eyes narrowed and her face contorted with anger. She turned around to meet the worried gazes of the Phantom Thieves. However, before she could scornfully chastise them, Makoto (P5-Crimson) arrived.

"Mako-chan?!" The Noirs shouted in unison.

Noir (P5-Crimson) called to her friend. "You shouldn't be here, Mako-chan! Please go now!"

"He's gone... " Makoto (P5-Crimson) muttered still in shock over Kagawa's death. "Everyone's dying…" She stumbled around completely out of it.

"Makoto! Please, you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!" Fox (P5-Crimson) pleaded.

Lifting his eyes to Makoto (P5-Crimson)'s level, Joker (P5-Crimson) gritted and stood up.

"Akira… is this a bad dream? Just some trick caused by Mementos?"

Joker (P5-Crimson) tried opening his mouth to speak.

"Explain why people are dying… and these blue flames… and that dragon…"

"You want to know why this is happening?!" Panther (P5-Crimson) cried out as she pointed to the Phantom Thieves. "It's their fault! They came here and brought monsters into our world! Their Joker is that dragon and he's caused these flames!"

"But, it was all done to stop that sludge monster!" Panther tried reasoning with her alternate, younger self.

"Shut up… _**JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, IMPOSTER!**_" Panther (P5-Crimson) hatefully snapped at the older Panther.

Makoto (P5-Crimson) blinked in confusion. "Why are there two of you…?!" The usually calm girl was in a state of disarray and walked away. "What the hell is even happening anymore?!"

Just then, the roars of Satanael ΩX were heard from within the hellscape that was once the Shibuya prefecture. Makoto (P5-Crimson) turned and saw the three-headed behemoth bellowing far off. A wave of blue flames came spreading out.

"Makoto, move…!" Joker (P5-Crimson) screamed toward her.

Makoto (P5-Crimson) tried to move, but her legs and body buckled over. Before she could even scream, the blue flames swept over and engulfed her. When the blue flames wisped away, Niijima Makoto was _gone_.

The Crimson!Phantom Thieves were unable to react in time to save her. They failed to stop Myrk Hedoro and Satanael ΩX. As a result, hundreds. No, quite possibly thousands of lives have been lost, including Niijima Makoto.

The Crimson!Phantom Thieves reacted in horror over the death of their friend. Noir (P5-Crimson) broke down hard like never before. Joker (P5-Crimson)'s paranoia and anxiety hit a new level. As if seeing someone Ohya was enough to break him, Makoto (P5-Crimson) being killed absolutely _destroyed_ him beyond repair.

"Mako...Makoto… _**MAKOTO!**_" Joker (P5-Crimson) shouted to the heavens as if cursing the deities for taking his loved one away.

Also having witnessed Makoto (P5-Crimson)'s demise, Sae reacted in similar horror when she saw her sister killed. First, her father had been taken from her. Now, fate took her younger sister away, leaving Sae a lonely and mentally defeated woman.

As if that wasn't enough to fuel Panther (P5-Crimson)'s fury, she and her friends witnessed the grisly imagery of burning debris falling on top of people, including innocent children. The burned bodies of civilians became etched into their skulls.

Grinding her teeth, Panther (P5-Crimson) finally let it all out and shouted scornfully at the Phantom Thieves. "This is all… _**THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT, YOU MONSTERS!**_" She pivoted and hatefully glared at them.

"I'm sorry…!" Panther pleaded, crying as she and her friends tried to speak.

"_**DON'T FEED ME YOUR HORSESHIT LIES! THEY'RE GONE! THEY'RE ALL GONE!**_" Panther (P5-Crimson) screamed. "_**FUCKING LEAVE! FUCKING LEAVE NOW!**_"

Not even giving them a chance to leave, Panther (P5-Crimson) recalled Carmen and turned her Persona loose against the Phantom Thieves.

"Oh shit!" Skull cursed.

"We have to retreat and get Ren!" Fox suggested, grabbing Noir.

"_**TAKE YOUR FUCKING MONSTER AND LEAVE! GO BACK TO THE HELL WHERE YOU ALL BELONG!**_" Panther then commanded Carmen to shoot fireballs toward the Phantom Thieves.

As the fiery blasts headed for them, Panther quickly intercepted and summoned Hecate. Hecate easily stopped Carmen's blasts. However, being fueled by Panther (P5-Crimson)'s unbridled fury, Carmen's blasts scorched some parts of Hecate's clothing.

"What now?!" Noir screamed out.

Satanael ΩX quickly headed straight for the location where the Phantom Thieves were. The Crimson!Phantom Thieves, sans the mentally broken Joker (P5-Crimson), prepared to stop the dragon. Panther (P5-Crimson) hatefully glared down the dragon.

"_**ALL OF YOU FUCKING GO AWAY!**_"

Before Satanael ΩX could attack the Crimson!Phantom Thieves, a portal opened up between the two groups. Hifumi emerged much to the Phantom Thieves's delight. Hifumi scanned the entire hellscape. Her expression was much like the others: horror and utter dread.

Having seen enough of the horrific scenery, Hifumi glowed in a pure white light. Closing her eyes, she willfully focused her reality warping powers to cleanse the blue flames that destroyed Shibuya. The white light washed over the ruined areas, repairing the damage, and restoring the buildings to their original states. Every victim killed during Myrk Hedoro and Satanael ΩX's attacks were being revived. The white light consumed Satanael ΩX and turned him back to Joker, who collapsed to the ground.

"Ren!" Fox hurried over and collected him, throwing Joker's arm over the back of his neck. "There. I have you."

Hifumi pivoted toward the Phantom Thieves. "Get into the portal. Now." She instructed them.

The Thieves did exactly as told. Fox was the first to go carrying Joker. Then, Skull. Noir was next. Then, Mona. Panther was on her way out but she turned and watched Hifumi finish the healing process.

Confused, the Crimson!Phantom Thieves witnessed their world being restored by Hifumi's divine power.

"Who are you? Are you another one of those monsters from _their_ world?" Panther (P5-Crimson) asked Hifumi, her tone retaining its anger.

"She just restored everything," Fox (P5-Crimson) was at a loss for words.

"Including all the people who died!" Skull (P5-Crimson) pointed to the revived victims, including Makoto (P5-Crimson) and Ohya.

Joker (P5-Crimson) looked up and saw Makoto (P5-Crimson) waking up as if she had just awoken from a dream.

"I'm sorry for the horror and tragedy that was brought to your world, but we've removed the Yami Matter," Hifumi informed the Crimson!Phantom Thieves. "Starting now, you won't remember anything."

With that, Hifumi produced halos of white light that formed over the Crimson!Phantom Thieves and all of Shibuya's citizens. With a clap of her hands, the white halos shattered and produced a reverberating sound that effectively erased their memories of everything related to the other Phantom Thieves, the Shadows's attack on Shibuya, Myrk Hedoro, and Satanael ΩX. Everything involving the Phantom Thieves's meddling was erased from this dimension's timeline.

The Crimson!Phantom Thieves found themselves back in their civilian states. They had no idea why they were in Shibuya and recalled nothing related to the other Phantom Thieves. In fact, their only recollections were fighting the Shadows and then leaving, but for some reason they ended up in Shibuya.

"Akira?" Makoto (P5-Crimson) approached him and his friends. "Hey, I'm here."

"Oh, hey?"

"Hey, yourself."

"Oh, right. We were supposed to talk about what to do next regarding finding Kaneshiro's Palace?" Haru (P5-Crimson) asked her.

"Sssh, not here," Ann (P5-Crimson) cupped Haru's mouth.

"That's right. So, any more leads?" Makoto (P5-Crimson) queried.

"Nothing, except we now know his Palace is all of Shibuya," Akira said.

xxxxx

**A/N: **Well, that was an intense one-shot. So far, it's the most graphic as far as onscreen deaths, gruesome imagery, and overall fucked up situations that make one think they've experienced an acid trip. Haha, but I digress. This is also the first (and only) crossover with another _Persona 5_ fanon universe. And believe me, this isn't the first time I've done crossovers with other fanfic universes.

A reminder to non-_Crimson_ fans, this P5 fanfic universe just happens to be a AU written by Dowdz. Thanks to a recommendation by Ford1114 (author of _Persona Vein_ and me helping write his sequel _Urban Legends_), I was finally able to read this 104 chapter (as of this update) tale. If you're looking for a really dark but good P5 fanfic, I'd highly recommend _Crimson_.

For _Crimson_ followers, I hope I was able to somewhat capture the _essence_ of this fan universe, even if for this one shot. Ftr, Hifumi helped retcon the events so _Crimson_ can naturally progress like nothing happened.

Ok, between Hifumi having reality warping/time reset powers, Ren turning into a dragon, and this Persona's Ascendancy, what is this PV/UL world? Well, it's a shared crossover universe with the _Persona 5_ and _Code Vein_ cast as the central characters coupled with the _Kakegurui_ and _Nioh_ characters/elements as secondary and tertiary characters. The PV/UL!Phantom Thieves are already a couple of years older than they were in P5, and they're unique in the fact they've been able to tap into new powers called: Persona's Ascendancy. They're able to merge with and take on the appearance of their strongest Personas (until P5R comes along). So, for instance, Ren becomes Satanael ΩX, which he can either alternate between humanoid or dragon mode. Hifumi's status in PV/UL jumped from a simple confidant to a major player. In fact, Hifumi is one of three of PV/UL's main characters next to _Code Vein_'s Male Protagonist (named Skyler Jones exclusively for this fic series) and Ren. With an ascended status, Hifumi became paired with Skyler (originally Sion) and joined & helped the Phantom Thieves. Ok so how did Hifumi get these reality warp powers? She had sex with Sion. It's learned that Sion's essence is tied to Yaldabaoth. She gets killed by the main villain of UL. She gets revived by Sion's power and converts the God of Control's power to make it her own, turning her into the goddess named Sophia. Hifumi/Sophia then used her power to grant the Phantom Thieves their Persona's Ascendancy powers and aided them to defeat the villain Saklas. She then used her power to restore the world damaged by Saklas. However, her reality warp of the universe, she rewrote history so that the _Code Vein_ characters appear in the PV/UL world and she actually revives Sion, who has reincarnated into Skyler and by some chance he and Hifumi get reacquainted. Now, they're living happily together and have reunited with the Phantom Thieves as well as Skyler's Revenant buddies. Their new enemy as of UL: the Yami Matter, which have manifested a few times. So, yeah, that's PV/UL!Hifumi's life.

Tl;dr: Hifumi and Sion fucked in a hotel. Through sex, Hifumi inherited P5's Final Bad's power from her vampire boyfriend and converted it. She gets offed by bad guy, gets revived, becomes a badass goddess, gives the Thieves power-ups, resets the universe while adding a whole cast of new characters from another timeline, and she meets her reincarnated vampire boyfriend. Now, they're living the good life together and now fighting the Yami Matter.

So, there you have it. Just like _Crimson_, _Urban Legends_ is still ongoing.

For newcomers to _Crimson_, there are differences to be had in the Crimson!P5 universe. For example, Crimson!Kaneshiro is a completely revamped character compared to the canon game (and the PV/UL/AnM continuity). In _Crimson_, he's a large, muscular dude with a whole network of connections and is a very competent, and imposing criminal. Canon!Kaneshiro would be pissing himself scared of this guy and would probably be a minion to him, haha. Also, as of this writing, Crimson!Makoto has yet to become a Phantom Thief, but she knows Akira and company are the PTs. Crimson!Futaba barely just asked the PTs to steal her heart and remains a shut-in, which is why she didn't show up here. And yes, the biggest difference: in _Crimson_, the Protagonist is named Kurusu Akira as opposed to Amamiya Ren, which worked out great for this crossover. Saves me the trouble of differentiating Ren and Akira until they both become Joker. Moreover, there's exclusive OCs in _Crimson_ like Principal Toko, the Tatterdemalion group, and Kagawa.

But, let's get to the Yami Matter related tidbits. Not much to say, but the Third Yami Matter event ended up being a Kaijū battle between Hedorah and King Ghidorah. Haha, just kidding. But, Myrk Hedoro and Dragon!Satanael ΩX are parallel to them. And both pretty much leveled Crimson!Shibuya and left destruction in their wake. Thankfully, one of them was destroyed and Hifumi arrived to restore the damages (and turn Ren back to normal).

And wow, Crimson!Ann completely went off on the Phantom Thieves. And to think, this same girl gave her blessings to Ren and PV/UL!Ann. How quickly south things went once the Yami Matter reared its ugly head and forced Ren's hand.

Anyway, not much else to say, but another cheap plug: If you like a good dark P5 fic or even an AU take on the story (or if you like ShuMako shipping), then what are you waiting for? Check out _Crimson_ _now_ while it's on hiatus since Dowdz is currently writing the next parts (although he's been a busy family man these days).

And another cheap plug: If you like multi-crossovers, want some interesting crossover interactions among characters, if you're a fan of P5 & _Code Vein_, if you like some dark action, want to read a story with adult!Phantom Thieves, or want to see Hifumi with an expanded role, then I'd recommend Ford1114's _Persona Vein_ followed by _Urban Legends_, the PV sequel which can be found on my page and that I've been writing with him. Next year, to coincide with _Persona 5 Royal_'s release, a consolidated novelization fic combining PV and UL will be released. It will be titled: _Akane no Mai_. It'll be a revamped 'reboot' and serve to be more accessible to readers. Hopefully, because that should be its intention.

And that's all I have for this commentary. Send a review and see you soon!


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